Specter
by Soul Reaver
Summary: Cerebro locates a new mutant in Scotland who eventually joins the Institute. Chapter Six is up, despite leaving Bayville, Alan sees reminders of Her everywhere he goes...
1. A Thousand Years

A Thousand Years  
  
Disclaimer/Author's Note: I do not own the X-men Evolution franchise. I set this near the end of Principal Darkholme's tenure.  
  
"Mutant signature confirmed. Extrapolation complete. Name: Alan Breck. Residence: Edinborough, Scotland. Age, seventeen." Cerebro's cybernetic voice echoed.  
  
"Prep the Blackbird." Xavier said.  
  
Little did Xavier know that Mystique was on the way as well to recruit their new mutant hopeful.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Alan Breck ate his first meal in days hungrily, a loaf of bread he had managed to steal. He was a somewhat wiry lad a pair of gray eyes framed by a narrow face. It had been six days since he escaped the orphanage and he wasn't sure where to go next. This abandoned castle seemed to be the best place to hide. Most would be scared, since this castle was said to be haunted but Alan was unruffled, seeing that he knew ghosts existed, in fact two of them were his best friends.  
  
Bogel and Weerd suddenly popped into view. "What's up?" they asked the Scotsman.  
  
"Nothing." Alan replied, "I just managed to get something to eat."  
  
"So what's our plan, stow away on a ship, get on a plane to Hawaii, or sneak across the English Channel..." Bogel asked.  
  
"Guys, I don't know yet." Alan replied.  
  
The two ghosts weren't scary looking, they looked almost like the comical white sheet specters of Saturday morning cartoons. Bogel was a short fat ghost with a round head and a short little nose. Weerd was taller, skinnier, with a shock of hair that looked almost like a glove on top of his head.  
  
"Well who's turn is it to keep watch?" Alan asked.  
  
"I did it first last night, Bogel." Weerd said.  
  
"No, I did, Mr. Weerd." Bogel replied.  
  
"Did not!" Weerd shouted.  
  
"Did so!" Bogel replied.  
  
"Guys, just get along and draw straws." Alan said, "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"  
  
"Rats." Weerd said and phased through the wall.  
  
Alan and Bogel went to sleep for a few hours before Weerd would wake Bogel for the second watch and then Alan for the third.  
  
"Alan! Bogel! Wake up guys! Wake up! We've got major trouble!" Weerd shouted.  
  
"I thought Mrs. Grudge would wait until morning. Who would be dumb enough to mount a search in a "haunted" castle late at night?" Alan replied.  
  
"I dunno, but there's this bald dude in a wheel chair and this lanky guy with red sunglasses." Weerd shouted.  
  
"Okay, where are they?" Alan asked.  
  
"North gate." Weerd replied.  
  
"Bogel, go around the grounds on a scouting trip and let me know if they go anywhere near us, Weerd shadow them." Alan replied.  
  
"Yes sir!" Weerd said with a mock salute.  
  
"And remember no pranks. Keep a low profile." Alan replied.  
  
"Aye aye daddy-o!" Bogel said.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Mystique, in her guise as Principal Darkholme wandered the halls of the old castle. Certainly this was one of the creepier places she ever had heard a mutant take cover in, but she had to admire the youth's ingenuity, hiding in a place said by the townsfolk to be haunted was simple but brilliant.  
  
She shifted into her natural form, not knowing she had been seen. Bogel phased through a wall and to the place Alan was hiding in.  
  
"Alan, look out! There's this weird shapeshifter lady after you too!" Bogel shouted.  
  
"Bogel, shadow the lady, I'll set up an escape route in case we have to bail out of the castle for a few days or indefinitely." Alan replied.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Hoo hoo hoo! Man, such an opportunity for a prank wasted. Wait a minute, this is a big castle, and what Alan doesn't know won't hurt him." Weerd said, he snuck behind Scott Summers and tied his shoelaces together.  
  
"Professor, what is it?" Scott asked.  
  
"I sense a presence in this room, but it's faded." Xavier replied.  
  
"Who, Alan?" Scott asked.  
  
"No, it's someone else. Follow it Scott, through that door." Xavier replied.  
  
"Gotcha Professor, I'll go get hiiiimmm!" Scott said as he moved to run but fell flat on his face with a crash.  
  
"I gotta find Bogel, this seems like the perfect opportunity for some pranks." Weerd said, "Maybe we can get rid of these pesky freakazoids too."  
  
Weerd just about collided with Bogel in midair. "Whoa! Watch it!" Weerd shouted, "Why are you in a hurry?"  
  
"There's this lady. She looks like this business geek with glasses, then she turns into a blue skinned lady. She's looking for Alan too, I think." Bogel said.  
  
"No, she's a realtor trying to sell this castle." Weerd said sarcastically, "We've got to get her away from here so she doesn't discover Alan, or us. This gives me an idea for Operation Prankstergeist, get all the stuff."  
  
"Right with you Weerd." Bogel said.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
As Scott untied his shoelaces, he and Professor Xavier were pelted by about a dozen shaving cream balloons. "What the?" Scott said.  
  
"Scott, it's that presence again." Xavier said, wiping shaving cream off his face.  
  
Then they heard laughted, "Wah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"  
  
Weerd laughed as he phased into the next room to plan his next prank.  
  
That's when they both heard a loud scream, "What's that in my HAIR? Caterpillars!!!??? Come back here you white sheet lunatic! I'll get you!!!!"  
  
"Mystique!" Xavier and Scott both shouted.  
  
"Hoo hoo hoo, now let's get back to the command post." Weerd laughed.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The command post was little more than a crude tent made with poles and a tarp that Alan had built over their sleeping area to keep Bogel, Weerd, and himself safe from the leaky rooftop.  
  
"Now what's next, silly string, spray paint, whoopie cushions...?" Weerd asked.  
  
"Uh, Weerd, I don't know if that's such a good idea. That shapeshifter lady is really crabby and she turned into this whacky demon thing and chased me!" Bogel said.  
  
"What was that sound." Weerd said.  
  
"Oh stop that, this is scary enough." Bogel replied.  
  
"No, listen." Weerd said, the sound of footsteps, heavy ones, could be heard coming closer.  
  
"It's the demon lady!" Bogel shouted.  
  
"Oh no! Oh no! Turn out the flashlight, lie still!" Weerd shouted.  
  
"She's coming this way, we're doomed." Bogel replied.  
  
"We're ghosts we're already dead." Weerd said.  
  
Suddenly the tent flap opened and the face of a hideous blue skinned demon with scale-like skin popped in. "AAAAUUUGHHH! There it is! Blind it with the flashlight! Pull down the tent poles! Run Bogel! Run!!!!!" Weerd shouted.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Alan Breck had just crept outside, toward the newcomer's vehicle when he saw Bogel and Weerd go running out of the portcullis, screaming. "Bogel, Weerd, what's the matter?" Alan asked, gray trenchcoat swinging like a cape as he whirled around.  
  
Just then the bald man and the sunglass wearing youth walked outside, catching Alan in the act of pilfering their van. Alan immediately posed to defend himself, fingertips and eyes glowing green.  
  
"Alan, don't be frightened, we won't hurt you." Xavier said.  
  
Alan relaxed, "Who are you people?"  
  
"I'm Professor Charles Xavier, I run an Institute for gifted youths like yourself. Think about it Alan, no more running and hiding, no more fleeing from abusive orphanages..." Xavier replied.  
  
"No blue demon ladies?" Bogel said.  
  
"What?" Scott asked.  
  
"There was this lady who shifted shapes and turned into this demon lady and tried to kill me and Weerd." Bogel said.  
  
"Mystique." Xavier replied, "She is not part of my organization."  
  
"Who are these two?" Scott asked.  
  
"My friends, Bogel and Weerd, I go nowhere without them. It's all three of us or just me." Alan replied.  
  
"Very well Alan, gather your belongings and take your time." Xavier said, "Scott, help him."  
  
An hour later, Scott and Alan packed Alan's backpack and sleeping bag and piled into the X-van, by morning Alan was on his way to Bayville and what he hoped was sanctuary at last.  
  
To be continued.... 


	2. Newcomer

Newcomer  
  
A mischievous ghost stole my disclaimer saying I don't own the X-men Evolution franchise.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Alan Breck threw on his gray trench coat over his tan trousers and white Tour De France t-shirt. As he was about to leave his new room at the Xavier Institute out popped Bogel and Weerd, his two oldest friends from childhood. Bogel and Weerd weren't even human. They were ghosts. They didn't look that scary, their appearances were almost comical, but when they would meld with Alan they would create his mutant powers, Alan could fire bolts of spectral energy that were capable of disabling electrical equipment or knocking people out. Bogel was a short, round shaped and a pale white color. Weerd was the same color but taller and with a shock of unruly hair and a long nose. Neither was over four feet tall.  
  
"Whoa, nice digs." Weerd said.  
  
"Where are we?" Bogel asked.  
  
"Guys," Alan said, his voice revealing a Scottish accent, "We're not in Scotland, that's for sure."  
  
"Where are we?" Bogel asked.  
  
"Guys, we're at some place called the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children."  
  
"Great, a geek academy." Weerd blurted.  
  
"Hoo hoo, that gives me an idea for some pranks…" Bogel chimed.  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Alan said, his eyes glowing green as they always did whenever he would access his spectral powers. He could do that to a limited extent but when Bogel and Weerd melded with him they could access massive amounts of spectral energy. This was physically taxing however and if Bogel and Weerd melded with Alan too long his body would start to show signs of immense physical strain so they had to part ways.  
  
"Sorry, no need to get mad." Weerd said.  
  
"Guys, this is my first day here, I need to make a good impression." Alan said.  
  
"Since when have you worried about being Mr. Popular, we've always been on the outside before."  
  
"Yeah, but let's try seeing if we can't at least get to know some of these people." Alan said walking out into the halls.  
  
"Who are you talking to?" Kitty Pryde asked, seeing the newcomer in the gray trench coat who looked like he was talking to himself.  
  
Bogel and Weerd rendered themselves invisible either at will or when they didn't want to be found. Alan had the same ability. All three of them developed that trait for mutual survival against a world that hated them. Bogel and Weerd weren't sure if Pryde was any different.  
  
"Guys, she's one of us, don't worry." Alan said.  
  
Kitty saw two shapes appear, two white sheet specters, one short and fat, the other tall and skinny with a long nose. "Those are my friends, Bogel and Weerd."  
  
"H-hi." Bogel said.  
  
"Are they…" Kitty said.  
  
"Ghosts, yes." Alan replied.  
  
"Don't you think that's, like, weird?" Kitty said.  
  
"That's my name, don't wear it out." Weerd chimed.  
  
"When you spend most of your childhood among ghosts, you come to realize they're no different than us." Alan replied.  
  
"Guys, breakfast in ten." Scott said.  
  
"Boy does that guy have a stick up his ass." Weerd said.  
  
"Wait a minute! I know you! You're the ghost that tied my shoelaces together in Scotland." Scott replied.  
  
"Behold!" Weerd said, pointing down the hallway. Scott turned his head and Weerd phased into the wall.  
  
"These lads have a thing for playing pranks on people." Alan replied, "Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's not."  
  
"What you mean like putting live caterpillars in Mystique's hair?" Scott replied.  
  
"Hoo hoo. Phase Two of Operation Prankstergeist was a success." Bogel said.  
  
"Hey! Don't give away our secret prank operations!" Weerd said, this time wearing a secret agent getup complete with black suit and sunglasses. He yanked Bogel through the wall.  
  
"Hey! Ow! Ow! I didn't tell them everything about Operation Prankstergeist! Quit it! Quit it!" Bogel shouted.  
  
"Yeah well you gave away too much....Ow! Quit biting! Quit biting!" Weerd shouted.  
  
Alan opened the door of the bathroom where Bogel and Weerd were beating up on each other in the tub. "Alright lads, break it up!"  
  
Alan's fingertips and eyes were glowing green and Bogel and Weerd wisely decided to avoid trouble and broke up the fight. Alan's fingers and eyes stopped glowing, "They're always like this."  
  
"Boy does that Summers guy have a major stick up his butt." said Weerd.  
  
"You might, like, want to stay clear of Scott for a while Weerd." Kitty said.  
  
"Sure, I'll just operate on that stick some other time." Weerd replied as they walked downstairs for breakfast, following Scott, "And Bogel, put a low profile on a strict diet."  
  
"Hey!!!!" Bogel replied.  
  
"Yeah fatty, I'm talking to you." Weerd said.  
  
"Okay stick boy, you replace that stick up Summers' butt." Bogel replied.  
  
"Knock it off." Alan replied.  
  
Kitty laughed lightly at the hijinks of the two ghosts. "They kind of remind me of the Brotherhood if you know what I mean."  
  
"The Brotherhood?" Alan asked.  
  
"They used to be run by Mystique before she abandoned them." Kitty replied.  
  
"Oh you mean that crabby lady we attacked with the caterpillars?" Bogel asked.  
  
"Yes Bogel, Operation Prankstergeist's latest victim." Alan replied.  
  
"Yeah, she's a shapeshifter." Kitty replied as they walked to the dining room, "You'll hear all about the Brotherhood before long."  
  
Alan wondered what exactly he had blundered into as he started to eat... 


	3. Operation Prankstergeist, Phase Three

Operation Prankstergeist, Phase Three  
  
Author's Note: Takes place just before the Cauldron.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Xavier handed Bogel and Weerd a wristwatch like device for each of them. "Since you and Alan are almost symbiotically tied, these watches will enable you to appear human and blend in, decreasing your chances of detection."  
  
When both ghosts activated their watches they turned into ordinary looking human teenagers. They were of normal height, with Weerd still being taller and skinnier than Bogel.  
  
"Oh man, why am I still fat?" Bogel asked.  
  
"These devices match your natural builds and make you appear to be human teenagers. You can't always rely on your invisibility." Xavier said.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Well it's some improvement." Alan said, seeing his two ghosts with their human guise for the first time.  
  
As they walked through the high school's hallway for the first time, Alan was shown where his classes were by Scott Summers, with Weerd taking a low profile because of his practical joke.  
  
As Study Hall droned on and Alan was ready to fall asleep he noticed Bogel and Weerd were missing. Before he could even ask where they were mentally he heard a shrill scream, Principal Darkholme.  
  
"AIEEEEE!!! Who put that live tarantula in my purse!!?"  
  
"I don't think I'm even going to ask who it is because I know who it is." Alan replied muttering to himself.  
  
"Bogel and Weerd?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Who else loves playing pranks like that?" Alan replied.  
  
"Well, lets go find them." Kitty replied.  
  
"Oh no, I'll get them myself." Alan replied.  
  
"We can cover more ground though." Kitty said.  
  
"Fine." Alan replied.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Operation Prankstergeist, Phase Three, was a huge success, hee hee!" Bogel said, making a mock salute at Weerd.  
  
"Heh heh heh, the fruits of victory are sweet." Weerd said.  
  
"Uh, Weerd." Bogel said.  
  
"Just one moment Bogel, let me savor the triumph of our tarantula tactic." Weerd said.  
  
"Weerd..." Bogel said, more insistently.  
  
"Bogel, we can plan more stuff later against crabby old Principal Darkholme..." Weerd said.  
  
"Weerd...." Bogel said.  
  
"Oh for God's sake Bogel, speak up if you insist on bugging me..." Weerd replied.  
  
"Uhm...Errr...Yip...." Bogel said.  
  
"Bogel, try speaking more articulately." Weerd said.  
  
"Duh...duh...duh...Lo-look behind you!!!!!!" Bogel suddenly stammered out.  
  
"Huh? Oh, that's just a big nasty blue skinned demon with spikes on her shoulder and a lot of attitude..." Weerd said, "What am I saying? Operation Prankstergeist, Phase Four, retreat! Code Blue! Code Blue! Code Blue!!!!!"  
  
The demon suddenly transformed back into Mystique while the two fleeing students, Bogel and Weerd, were in full retreat.  
  
"Ha ha ha! Who get's the last laugh now, you ghostly delinquents." Mystique laughed, chasing them into a relatively empty hall with no students, "That's what happens when you mess with Mystique."  
  
"Battle stations! Battle stations! Man your battle stations!!" Weerd shouted.  
  
"Oui mon capitaine...." Bogel said, saluting again and grabbing the firehose, spraying Mystique with a solid jet of water.  
  
"Solid!" Bogel and Weerd shouted, high fiving.  
  
"There you guys are." Alan said, holding what looked like a graphing calculator, "Fortunately Professor Xavier gave me this tracking device to keep track of you hooligans."  
  
"Yeah, let's get out of here before the killer blue psychopath awakens." Weerd said, as he and Bogel tapped their watches and resumed their human appearances.  
  
"Bogel, put this in the log, Operation Prankstergeist was a great success, medals awarded to all parties. The Bottlecaps of Valor awarded to all officers." Weerd said, with a grandiose gesture.  
  
Just then a metal ball descended from the air and metal tentacles shot out, grabbing Alan, Bogel and Weerd and dragging them inside... 


	4. Facade of Normalcy

Facade of Normalcy  
  
Author's Note/Disclaimer: I ran over the disclaimer that says that I don't own the X-men Evolution franchise by accident. Sorry this one's so short…  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Six months had passed since the narrow escape from Asteroid M and things seemed to have returned to normal around Bayville. Oh there were a few changes, Mystique had vanished, Magneto had gone into hiding, and the Institute had a crop of new recruits.  
  
Oh the first two didn't mean very much to Alan Breck as he walked downstairs, towards the garage to break out his bicycle and go for a ride. The last change meant there were more students for him to bump elbows with than there normally were.  
  
"On another bicycle ride Alan?" Kitty Pryde asked.  
  
"I am." Alan said, "I always have found it to be a very relaxing hobby, just me and miles of open road. Without anything else to bother me."  
  
The phone downstairs rang and Rogue shouted, "Kitty! It's Lance." Cupping her hand over the mouthpiece she said, "Ah don't know what you see in that creep..."  
  
That was another interesting new change, Lance and Kitty, almost complete opposites, started flirting almost constantly over the phone.  
  
Bogel and Weerd popped into view just then, "Hey Alan, what you up to?"  
  
"Just a bicycle ride lads." Alan said.  
  
"You know," Bogel mused, "You haven't exactly been yourself lately."  
  
"What do you mean?" Alan asked.  
  
Alan pulled his Oakley sunglasses over his eyes, threw on his khaki vest with its many pockets over his gray Tour De France t-shirt, and put his house key into the pocket of his black cargo trousers as they walked into the garage.  
  
"You know, you've been moody and wistful by turns, lately more on the moody side." Weerd said, "I know you're the most serious one of the three of us. You have to be, always taking care of us and we appreciate you for it. But you've been acting moody, almost depressed and we notice it, so do some of the others."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Alan replied as he mounted his bicycle.  
  
"Sure you do," Weerd said, taking his traditional post, on top of the large padded cargo box full of tools and a big water bottle behind Alan's seat, Bogel sat beside him.  
  
"This hasn't been easy for you, we know that, new guy in a crowd of people that genuinely care. Don't tell me you're uncomfortable with being cared about." Bogel said.  
  
It was about three months ago that Alan had started to develop feelings for Kitty Pryde. Sure she was attractive, but Alan knew plenty of attractive girls that repelled rather than attracted him. She was sweet, innocent, caring and those three traits were what hooked him. But he didn't think he was worth being cared for. In his mind a guy who's powers involved ghosts who also had two ghosts for best friends wasn't Kitty's image of a perfect man. Besides she already had Lance.  
  
Alan wasn't so sure where exactly this inferiority complex he had around women came from, perhaps from the years of torment by both orphanage orderlies and other orphans who regarded him as a freak, a demon, an outsider. Normally Alan had his defenses against this kind of treatment, he relished in his outsider status and just didn't care about it, period. Bogel and Weerd were good enough friends. But he had never been treated with kindness for many years, and this was totally new to him. Now he was starting to reciprocate that kindness to the others, which was comforting, but it was this deeper attraction he had to Kitty that was causing him grief.  
  
He continued peddling down the road, picking up speed as he went down a nearby hill. Then it hit him hard, he hadn't thought about these memories for over ten years.  
  
Ten years ago: Alan was seven years old, and walking through the woods. He saw his mother, an attractive woman in a simple blue dress, her long brown hair flowing freely, spinning in a dance with nature. He saw her then go flying up into the air. She was a Wiccan, one with nature, loosely defined as a witch. He walked tentatively into the clearing, he never saw mother do that before. She took the small child's hands and began to twirl with him in an aerial pirouette.  
  
Then Alan saw the eyes of his mother's suitor, pale blue behind thick glasses. Mr. Dunlap, the town magistrate. He remembered seeing his solitary figure at the edge of the mob of young hooligans that attacked him mother, condemning her as a witch and leaving Alan an orphan.  
  
"Watch out!!!!" Bogel yelled, as Alan nearly collided with Scott Summers' car going up the road.  
  
Alan swerved out of the way, barely maintaining balance. As he regained balance he knew that was one thing almost no one at the Institute knew about, the inner demons tormenting him under his facade of normalcy.  
  
His thoughts turned to Kitty, she had been one of the first people he met when he arrived at the Institute. She was kind enough to give him a tour of the place and even beyond that. She made sure that for his first few days he never sat alone in the cafeteria at lunch time. She actually would call him over to make sure he was never alone. Alan figured that kindness extended from sympathy to his plight as an orphaned loner and nothing more. This was evidenced by her flirtings with Lance.  
  
He didn't hate Lance for being attracted to Kitty, who wouldn't, but it made him feel alone, neglected, and isolated. He never did tell Kitty how he felt, what difference would it make, she didn't like him in that way, she felt sorry for him. At least he was convinced of that particular line of reasoning because whenever he attempted to make a conversation with Kitty she was always off with Lance.  
  
As he pedaled back towards the sun setting over the horizon, he decided he would maintain his facade of normalcy, and not let anyone know of the inner demons that were tormenting him on the inside, robbing him of peace... 


	5. Life at the Edge of Chaos

1 Life at the Edge of Chaos  
  
I accidentally ran over the disclaimer that says I don't own the X-men Evolution franchise with my bicycle. Sorry this chapter's so short…  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Many of the others had detected a subtle change in Alan's behavior as well. He seemed more withdrawn than usual, and his bicycle rides began getting longer than they normally were. They all knew bicycle riding was one of the ways Alan handled his inner demons.  
  
Bogel and Weerd had wandered off somewhere into the mansion for either some exploring or pranks, though with those two both seemed to be one and the same.  
  
Alan pulled a small object from his pocket, superficially it resembled a small circle of paper with a bird drawn on one side and a cage on the other with a pair of red ribbons running through it. He twirled the ribbons, creating the optical illusion of the bird flying into the cage and back out.  
  
His memory wandered again. He was a small child again, the thunderstorm at night had frightened him. Mother came in, always a calming influence for many young boys, she pulled the small item from the palm of one hand. The small boy lowered the blanket, and hugged his mother.  
  
Again he saw the cold blue eyes of the magistrate watching them through the window. He had been by their tiny house on the outskirts of town, near the seashore. Alan was too young to understand their talk but he did understand somewhat Mr. Dunlap's words about marriage. His mother had been kind in her rejection but ever since she gave him back that ring, the cold blue eyes were watching almost every day. The little boy didn't mention them as that which had frightened him.  
  
With the manner inherent to mothers everywhere, she hugged her progeny, staying by his side until she could tell by the rhythm of his breathing that he was asleep. Then she kissed the child good night and went to her own bed.  
  
That was a decade ago, why were these memories starting to invade him again. He thought he had built defenses, but it seemed that being among people that genuinely cared tore them down. As a result, old pains resurfaced. Why had he fallen for Kitty, he couldn't pinpoint exactly, but he knew that she had been gentle towards him and he found that attractive.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"So who should we try playing a prank on today." Bogel said.  
  
"Hey look, Duncan's outside." Weerd said.  
  
"Perfect. Heh heh. Alan's been angry at Duncan lately for his helping the cheerleaders spread some nasty rumors about Lance and Kitty. We can make his bad mood disappear that way." Bogel said.  
  
Both ghosts phased through the door and Bogel did his best impersonation of Jean. "Duncan, I'm here."  
  
"Where are you Jean?" Duncan asked.  
  
"Under there." Bogel said, still impersonating Jean's voice.  
  
"Under where?" Duncan said.  
  
"Exactly!" Weerd said, and gave Duncan an enormous wedgie, exposing his boxer shorts with the little red rocket ships.  
  
Jean, the real Jean, walked outside just then, seeing them. "How cute. Duncan, I never knew you wore rocket ship underpants."  
  
Duncan's face turned a bright shade of crimson, about the color of his jacket.  
  
Bogel and Weerd tiptoed away, laughing. Alan had seen the whole thing, peering out his window overlooking the driveway. He laughed despite himself. Bogel and Weerd came in grinning.  
  
"That was great guys." Alan said, a solitary tear forming, "You guys are the best."  
  
"We try." Weerd said.  
  
"Hey Alan, what's this?" Bogel said, lifting an envelope that had the words US Navy written on it in big bold letters.  
  
"Oh, that's a response from that e-mail I sent the Navy on that website about the Navy SEALS." Alan replied.  
  
"You want to be a SEAL?" Weerd asked.  
  
"No, I want to go into the Special Boat Service, those guys who drive those special speedboats that drop the SEALS into battle and pick them up." Alan said, "I found that site at work."  
  
"You mean at the boathouse?" Weerd asked. Alan had a job on the weekends where he helped a local boathouse owner, Mr. Tobin, with odd jobs around his business.  
  
"Alan, you certainly live your life on the edge of chaos." Weerd said.  
  
"Duncan's date certainly fell off the edge of chaos." Alan grinned, despite himself. He had chosen the military as the way to escape his problems, with luck he would keep from falling off the edge of chaos... 


	6. How You Remind Me

How You Remind Me  
  
I lost the disclaimer saying I don't own Nickelback's lyrics or the X-men Evolution franchise in a gutter on a rainy day...  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Alan Breck had finished all his training, and was now reporting to Coronado, California, for his next school. It seemed that no matter how far away from Bayville he went, he would always see something that would remind him...  
  
Never made it as a wise man.  
  
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'  
  
Tired of livin' like a blind man  
  
I'm sick of sight without a sense of feeling  
  
This is how you remind me  
  
This is how you remind me of what I really am.  
  
Alan was paying for gas for his car, a blue 1999 Camaro. He saw the attendant, a young woman that reminded him. The girl smiled at him, the way one smiles casually at a stranger that notices one walking by on the street. Everything from the chesnut brown hair, clear blue eyes, slender build. Minus the smoking cigarette she held in one hand, she could easily be Kitty Pryde, though her nametag read Selene.  
  
"Rainy weather we've been having." she commented.  
  
"Kitty, it's been pretty wet here, but I only just arrived." Alan replied.  
  
"Hey Scotty, you must've been breathin' fumes or something, who's Kitty. Can't you read my nametag." the girl said.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, you just reminded me of someone." Alan replied.  
  
"Someone special, Braveheart." the girl said.  
  
"You could say that," Alan said, taking his receipt and sticking it in the pocket of his jeans. Driving from Illinois all the way to California had baked his noodle a tad.  
  
It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story.  
  
This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking.  
  
I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle  
  
These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"  
  
Alan Breck ran along the gravel running path on the base, trailing alongside a running platoon from the SEALs training on the same base. He almost collided with another jogger, a young woman, a civilian working at the base gymnasium.  
  
Again, Alan blinked his eyes, he had to be dreaming. He mumbled an apology as he ran off. That girl's eyes were just like Kitty, only the face that framed them was obviously a couple years or so older and her hair was too short. "I've got to be going insane, it's like I'm seeing her everywhere I go, or something that reminds me of her."  
  
It's not like you didn't know that  
  
I said I love you and I swear I still do  
  
And it must have been so bad  
  
Cause livin' with me must have damn near killed you  
  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
  
Alan sat alone in a local restaurant, off base, he could see several young sailors laughing and celebrating something or other. He could see they were celebrating the wedding of one of their own. He couldn't take the celebration of love anymore as he picked up his gray trenchcoat and went for a walk. A long walk.  
  
It was then he heard shouts coming from a nearby alley, "Hey we Aryans don't like Jews in our society!"  
  
He could see two young men, with completely shaven heads with swastika armbands push a young woman to the ground. Even if this girl didn't strikingly resemble Kitty, he had reason enough to intervene.  
  
"Hey you bloody hooligans, leave the young lady alone!" Alan shouted, barging into the alley.  
  
"Hey, fuck you man! We don't like her type!"  
  
"Well I don't like your type!" Alan replied, his eyes glowing green, the menacing and haunted look on his face appearing even more so.  
  
"What the fuck!!!!"  
  
"What are you, you freak!!!?"  
  
"You have till the count of three..." Alan replied.  
  
The two skinheads ran off as Alan went toward their victim. "Are you okay, miss?" he asked, helping the young woman to her feet. It was then their eyes met.  
  
"Alan?" Kitty Pryde asked.  
  
"Kitty?" Alan asked, confused, he didn't know whether to be angry or happy, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Cerebro found a new mutant here." Kitty said, "I got separated from the others and these weirdos attacked me."  
  
Alan draped his gray trenchcoat over Kitty's rainsoaked figure, he walked her to his car. "I'll take you over to my apartment, and we can contact Xavier from there."  
  
She smiled warmly, "Thank you Alan."  
  
It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story.  
  
This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking.  
  
I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle  
  
These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"  
  
Never made it as a wise man  
  
Couldn't cut it as a poor man stealin'  
  
Alan unlocked the door to his apartment and showed Kitty in. "This is where I live now."  
  
"So, how do you like the Navy so far?" Kitty asked.  
  
"I like it just fine." Alan said, hiding his true feelings yet again, here she was, here he could pour his heart out to her, but he chose to stay silent again, "There's dry clothes in my drawers, sorry I don't stock up on women's clothing."  
  
Kitty laughed, despite herself, there he was again, so guarded, so enigmatic, yet so vunerable. She looked around the small apartment, seeing pictures of Alan and his Navy buddies in some framed photos, but also several of the mansion. As she went into the bathroom, showered, and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that were a little baggy on her, despite Alan's slender frame. She felt sleepy, the combination of the warm water, the tiring ordeal, and the rain were all having that effect. Sensing she was tired, Alan opened the door to the bedroom, "I'll take the couch. I'll talk to Xavier shortly, tell him you're sleeping over here."  
  
"Listen, Alan, that was really sweet of you, what you did." Kitty said.  
  
"I would have done it for anyone else." Alan said.  
  
"No, I mean it, Alan, that was..." Kitty said, at a loss for words.  
  
"You're welcome." Alan replied, smiling slightly, sheepishly with a hint of sadness.  
  
As Kitty closed the door and went to sleep, Alan heard the last lyrics of that Nickelback song, How You Remind Me, in his head yet again.  
  
This is how you remind me  
  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
  
It's not like you to say sorry, I was waiting on a different story.  
  
This time I'm mistaken, for handing you a heart worth breaking.  
  
I've been wrong, I've been down, been to the bottom of every bottle  
  
These five words in my head scream "are we having fun yet?"  
  
As they did, Alan called Xavier at the number Kitty provided, telling him she was safe, describing her attack and how he had scared off her attackers. He didn't realize a pair of gold, lamplike eyes were watching him.  
  
"Mr. Breck, why did you show up at an inopportune time?" Mystique asked, standing on the fire escape outside Alan's living room window, "It looks like Mr. Alvers' punishment will have to be delayed..." 


End file.
